Newcastle United signing this 21-year-old Croatian beast from PL rivals would be a sheer stroke of genius

Newcastle United Opinion: Nikola Vlasic would be an excellent signing for the Magpies

According to The Shields Gazette, Newcastle United are plotting a raid on Everton for out-of-favour Croatian starlet Nikola Vlasic this summer, with reports claiming that manager Rafael Benitez is keen to bolster his attacking ranks.

Vlasic is not the only attacking player on Newcastle’s radar, though, with the Magpies also weighing up a move for Birmingham City striker Che Adams. (h/t Shields Gazette)

The 21-year-old Croatian international spent this past season on loan at CSKA Moscow in the Russian Premier League and his scintillating run of form away from Goodison Park means that interest in the attacking midfielder is likely to be high this summer.

Vlasic registered an impressive 8 goals and 7 assists in 31 appearances for CSKA Moscow in all competitions and earned rave reviews for his consistently impressive displays in the midfield and final third.

However, it looks unlikely that the talented youngster has a future at Everton and The Shields Gazette claims that he is keen to secure a permanent move away from Goodison Park, with a fee of £12 million thought to be enough to seal the deal for any potential suitor.

Newcastle United are set for a very busy summer this time around, amidst talks of a £350 million takeover by Dubai-based Bin Zayed Group. The Magpies are yet to sort out the future of manager Rafael Benitez, with the Spaniard’s contract at Tyneside set to expire at the end of June.

However, those factors haven’t stopped them from monitoring potential targets ahead of the upcoming season and Newcastle continue to be linked with an array of players from different leagues across Europe. Newcastle’s links with Nikola Vlasic certainly makes a lot of sense, given the lack of depth, creativity and firepower in the club’s attacking ranks.

With West Brom loanee Salomon Rondon unlikely to return to St.James’ Park on a permanent basis and Ayoze Perez linked with moves to Spain and Italy, Benitez, or whoever comes in for that matter, would need to bring in substantial reinforcements to bolster the attack.

Jacob Murphy is unlikely to get too many opportunities following his poor run of form on loan at West Brom in the Championship, whilst Robert Kenedy is also back at his parent club Chelsea.

Suffice to say, Newcastle are likely to find themselves short of cover in the attacking third next season and someone like Nikola Vlasic could help them solve a lot of problems. It is very apparent that they need more quality in their ranks to challenge for a top-ten finish next term and a versatile attacking midfielder certainly fits the bill.

Essentially a central attacking midfielder by trade, Vlasic is also capable of playing in a more withdrawn No.8 role in the midfield and out wide on the right as a wide player. A highly creative player noted for his good turn of pace, sharpness, exceptional close control, sharpness, flair and trickery on the ball, the 21-year-old excels with his incredible vision and remarkable speed of thought.

Vlasic is not only capable of setting up goals with defence-splitting through balls but he is also more than capable of adding that much-needed energy and unpredictability to the midfield. He is the sort of player who always seems to have that match-winning pass up his sleeve and he has proven his ability to chip in with valuable goals as well.

The 21-year-old showcased his ability to deliver the goods against top-quality opposition in the Champions League this time around, with his performances against Real Madrid drawing praises from fans and pundits alike.

Newcastle splashed a club-record amount to bring in Paraguayan international Miguel Almiron in January, and while he has shown strong signs of promise, the Magpies need to bring in another quality attacking midfielder to complement him.

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Young and talented with a potentially good resale value-Vlasic perfectly fits the profile of players that the Magpies like to target in the window and he could take them to the next level in the Premier League in the years to follow.